Amid seething anger, rival claims of booth capturing and grenade and petrol bomb attacks, a meagre 2.81 percent polling was recorded in the final leg of Anantnag Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency on Monday, officials said.
Officials said 63.7 percent voter turnout was recorded in Ladakh Lok Sabha seat while the turnout was a dismal 2.81 in Pulwama and Shopian. While enthusiastic voters started pouring out to throng the polling stations in Leh and Kargil districts since early morning, most of the polling stations wore deserted looks in Shopian and Pulwama districts.
Officials said polling started at 7 a.m. in both the Lok Sabha seats, but ended at 4 p.m. in Anantnag constituency and 6 p.m. in Ladakh constituency. A wave of violence erupted in the poll-bound Pulwama and Shopian districts with suspected militants targeting at least five polling stations with grenades and petrol bombs. No injuries were however reported.
At least four youth were injured during clashes with the security forces in Shopian’s Batmurran village. Sources said youth pelted the forces with stones who responded by firing teargas. Unknown persons also hurled a petrol bomb at a polling station in Government Higher Secondary School (Boys) Shopian which exploded outside. There was no loss of life or injury.
Despite massive security deployment, suspected militants hurled grenades at four polling stations in Pulwama district’s Batnoor, Chatpora, Tikan and Rahmoo areas. “There is no report of any casualty or injury,” a senior police officer said, adding that a petrol bomb was hurled at a polling station in Pampore but it “didn’t cause any damage.”
The twin districts of Shopian and Pulwama, believed to be the hotbeds of militancy and anti-India sentiment, went to polls in the third and final leg of the election for Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency. Officials said due to security concerns, there was no polling on more than 300 booths while dozens of booths recorded single-digit
The last week’s killing of three militants, including a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Lateef Tiger, in Shopian had vitiated the already tense atmosphere in south Kashmir, the epicentre of the ‘new age insurgency’ in Kashmir.
A senior government officer said the district administration has clubbed dozens of polling stations to avoid any confrontation with public, “In Wachi assembly segment, 186 polling locations were reduced to 104 to avoid any confrontation. Despite this, clashes took place,” the officer said.
The situation in the tense south Kashmir districts turned grim since Sunday evening when the election staff started moving in to take control of the poll stations. At dozens of places, buses ferrying polling staff and forces’ vehicles were pelted with stones.
Amid growing violence, the state administration airdropped 24 members of the polling staff for Zainapora subdivision of Shopian on Sunday evening. The area has reported several militant and civilian killings in past three years and has been categorised as ‘super sensitive’, perhaps the only such station in the country in ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
According to reports, a Panchayat ghar, a revenue department building and a government-run school in Pulwama district were torched by unknown arsonists on Sunday night. Clashes were also reported in Shopian where arsonists set ablaze a government school in Kellar village.
“A youth, Aijaz Ahmad, sustained bullet injury during clashes in Shopian on Sunday evening. He was referred to a hospital where his condition is stable,” sources said.